On the completion of the drilling of a well bore, which maybe up to several hundred metres deep, the removal of pipes can be a time consuming exercise. Further, as the pipes are of a considerable size, for instance up to 200 mm (9⅝″) in diameter and up to 9.1 metres (30′) long these pipes also present problems in handling in an efficient and safe manner. This is particularly so for applications where a pipe stand (that is 3 pipes joined) are stored, and so having a section 27.4 metres (90′) in length.
As the pipes are withdrawn, one method of controlling and storing the pipe stand is to individually lift them into a rack as the drill string is extracted. However, the time taken for each pipe to be moved in such a manner, can be a considerable. Further it is a logistically difficult exercise to both lift and move a pipe into a rack particularly for the first pipe within the rack as the lateral distance to be moved maybe significant. It follows that during this activity accidents may occur during replacement within the rack and therefore present a safety problem.